Chapter 47: Who Wouldn't Want to Steal the Show and be the Protagonist?
TN: Holy crap that later took a while. Here I am though, back, sorta. Not fully back yet, will have a sporadic update schedule until the holiday season. So expect some updates at an ungodly time or date. University is kicking my teeth in, very hard. A lot of work is just piling up and I just have not found time to translate. But come the holidays, I'll make sure to translate a lot of chapters and FINALLY put my releases on a timed schedule. I hope y'all understand. Also, advance happy holidays!
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Charles Barkley's commentary during the live NBA broadcast, along with Richmond's detailed and emotionally charged article, caused quite a stir in the basketball community.
However, this didn't affect the normal progression of time, and Coach McHaney didn't show any signs of concern within the team.
He didn't care about the public opinion; he only knew that he now had complete control. Whether it was Jamie Lin, who he had assigned to the editing room, or Bruce Li, who had recently received extensive media coverage, everything was within his grasp.
Bruce continued to practice his shooting in the training hall, following his instructions.
This kid had indeed made significant progress recently. His shooting form had noticeably improved, and his shooting accuracy was decent in the training camp setting.
But... didn't this look too much like Michael Jordan?
Yet, his shooting height was nowhere near as impressive as Jordan's. Would this kind of shooting be effective in a game?
He furrowed his brows. Turning around, he saw TJ Walton relentlessly attacking the basket, and he quite admired him. He believed that the recovered TJ Walton would give the opponent's Mario Chalmers a hard time in this game. In his view... after increasing Walton's aggressiveness and implementing his tactical system, securing a victory against the University of Kansas would be no problem.
Since the departures of coaches Larry Brown and Roy Williams, the University of Kansas had consistently made it to the championships every year but remained lukewarm. Though Bill Self boasted of being a great coach, McHaney had his doubts.
...
Compared to McHaney's confident pre-game demeanor, Coach Bill Self appeared very cautious. He even explicitly instructed his players not to make exaggerated statements on television three days ago.
"This is a highly anticipated game nationwide, I know you want to showcase your talent through this game and actively sell yourselves to the NBA. But... the more you want to assert yourself, the further you get from the team. Stanford University is a very dominant run-and-gun team, and their assistant coach, Jamie Lin, has extremely outstanding talent, as well as Bruce Li. Although I know many of you are not happy with him, I must emphasize again that his organizational skills can rank among the top three in the NCAA..."
Coach Self's words weren't finished.
Power forward Lanny Kuhl, a junior sitting in the corner, interrupted, "He's just a Chinese kid hyped up by the media. I've watched his game footage, and he's as thin as a reed. If he dares to charge into my restricted area, I'll make sure he's picking up his teeth from the floor." (T/N: No idea Who)
Bill Self looked at the bleary-eyed Lanny Kuhl and shook his head helplessly.
Lanny Kuhl was the first five-star player he recruited when he joined the University of Kansas. He was selected for the McDonald's All-American team in high school, and in the 2004 national high school player rankings, he was only second to Sebastian Telfair. (T/N: Author is just making up things at this point)
Considered the next Kevin Garnett, he originally had a bright future, but with further decline after entering college, people no longer included him in discussions about NBA potential.
Sometimes, Coach Self even wondered: Maybe it would have been better if he hadn't recruited him and directly allowed him to enter the NBA draft. At least he might have gotten an NBA contract. Of course... money might have accelerated his decline as well. He was just indulging in various forms of revelry.
In America, there were far too many talented players who fell by the wayside. It's just that some of their names were known because they entered the NBA by luck or other means. But more fell into obscurity during high school or college... like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who were acclaimed nationwide in high school, and then worked hard in the league, surpassing even the highest expectations.
"But I saw an article online yesterday," Mario Chalmers said, "It said Coach McHaney has returned to Stanford, and he's going to abandon Coach Jamie Lin's tactics, and even push Bruce Li out of the core position..."
"McHaney wouldn't be so foolish," Coach Bill Self analyzed solemnly. "This is very likely to be deliberate misinformation released by them. Everyone knows that Stanford's small-ball tactics are very fluid, and it's impossible to change tactics on short notice."
"So, we need to be even more focused in the upcoming game. It's a match where the outcome is hard to predict. I hope the team that ultimately advances to the Sweet Sixteen is us, and not one that leaves the arena with their heads down after the game..."
Coach Bill Self spoke with great precision.
As he was speaking, Brandon Rash rushed in from outside, out of breath and visibly excited. "Michael... Michael... Michael Jordan is here...! I just saw him escorted by security guards entering the arena through the players' tunnel. It's true, I saw the basketball legend!!"
Wow!
This news sent the locker room into a frenzy.
Michael Jordan's stature was just too high.
He's actually appearing at an NCAA game that doesn't involve North Carolina?
"Isn't Bruce Li's fame a bit too high?!" Mario Chalmers couldn't help but mutter.
Since his phenomenal performance in the previous game, where he defeated the championship favorites from the University of Texas, coupled with his off-court entertainment news and his background as an academic prodigy and Facebook investor, Bruce Li quickly became the most-watched star in the NCAA.
Numerous NBA teams expressed interest in him.
However, no one expected... that the basketball legend Michael Jordan would also come.
Could it be because of his game-winning shot, which resembled Jordan's? Or was it because some of his moves in the last game were very much like Jordan's?
There are many imitators of the basketball legend, but the strongest among them is currently the leading shooting guard in the league. But you don't see Jordan going to Staples Center every day to watch basketball.
Nevertheless, no matter how you look at it, with Michael Jordan's arrival, the Kansas players' desire to perform well was once again heightened.
In fact, even before Michael Jordan arrived, the University of Kansas had known that there were at least forty NBA scouts gathered in the stands, including team executives, like the legendary general manager RC Buford from the San Antonio Spurs, and his formidable assistant Sam Presti (the man who makes Thunder fans both love and hate him). (T/N: How the tables have turned)
Of course, TNT broadcasting this game nationwide also contributed to their excitement.
Although everyone knew... that such a grand and highly watched stage was set up because of Bruce Li on the opposing side.
But who wouldn't want to steal the show and be the protagonist?
Moreover... the darling of the entertainment industry, Miss Hilary Duff, who was highly sought after, personally came to the scene.
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